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Disease Areas
Progress in medicine today is not just about scientific
innovation. Huge advances have been made as a result of disease
prevention, risk assessment and therapy monitoring - as well as in
the basic requirements of diagnosis. Nowhere have these advances
been more effective than in heart disease, cancer,
and chronic diseases, including blood-borne pathogens
like HIV. And medicine has individual diagnostic needs too in
women's health, respiratory tract infections and sexually
transmitted disease. These are the fields in which Inverness
Medical is active, where global as well as individual diagnostic
needs are met with the broadest range of point-of-care products
available.
Cardiology
Cardiovascular disease encompasses a spectrum of conditions and
illnesses including high blood pressure, high cholesterol,
metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart
failure, and stroke. It is estimated that 40 percent of all
deaths in industrialized countries can be attributed to
cardiovascular disease.
Drugs of Abuse
Despite advances in medical, social, and
economic sciences, substance abuse continues to be a significant
problem in the United States and other countries worldwide.
The ability to obtain a differential diagnosis of drug use in a
timely manner greatly aids the course of medical treatment,
including the prevention of contraindicated medicinal
interventions. In addition to the diagnostic applications,
drugs of abuse screening programs are extensively utilized in
occupational and law enforcement settings.
Infectious Disease
Despite widespread immunization for many childhood illnesses and
the use of effective antibiotics, infectious diseases impose
a massive public health burden. Most, even newly emerging
diseases, can be detected by simple diagnostic testing.
The detection of some blood-borne diseases such as HIV and
hepatitis B, especially in the developing world, can improve
prognosis and help prevent mother-to-child transmission.
Upper respiratory tract infections such as tonsillitis and
sinusitis are at best uncomfortable; lower respiratory tract
infections like bronchitis and pneumonia may be life-threatening.
Their effective - and careful - treatment with antibiotics depends
on a precise identification of the infecting pathogen.
Oncology
As with all cancers, the early detection of bladder cancer improves
prognosis. Screening for this common cancer and monitoring its
progress during therapy are critical to its successful treatment.
Women's Health
For many women, the confirmation of a pregnancy is a happy
event, but human reproduction can have its problems too. Cycle
irregularities, osteoporosis, and sexually transmitted infections
may all have a pronounced effect on some women.
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